Physical Fireworks
by Foarrin
Summary: Before being invited to Auradon, the four descendants spend an evening watching the fireworks held every year for Prince Ben's birthday. However, watching the celebration from a lonely rooftop on the Isle may end up bringing up unforeseen emotions. Mal/Jay; One-shot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Descendants or its prequel Isle of the Lost.**

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"What do you think it's like in Auradon?" Evie asked quietly. She had one knee hugged to her chest, and her head rested on top of her knee. She turned her head to look at the others questioningly.

"Pink, very pink," Jay answered.

Mal laughed and rolled her eyes. "You can't even tell from here. All it is is bright." She looked back toward the city of Auradon across the strip of water that separated the Isle from the mainland. The castle was lit up that night, its turrets colored blue and yellow for the prince's birthday celebration.

Jay nudged her arm. "I was being sarcastic. I'm not colorblind."

"Your clothes could have fooled me," Mal said. A small smirk tugged at the edge of mouth when she saw him frowning out of the corner of her eye.

"I think it's probably wonderful," Evie said and sighed. "Tons of dresses and plenty of makeup. Beauty schools and hair salons." She sighed against wistfully.

"Guys, a little help here," someone grumbled. There was a grunt and then a thud. "Ow."

Mal moved forward to look over the edge of the roof where they had decided to sit for the show. She laughed, seeing Carlos on his back on the ground in the alley below. "Hey, short stuff, you need a hand?"

He glared up at her and scrambled to his feet. "I'm not short. I'm just as tall as you." He bent down to gather up a few juice boxes and a half-empty bottle of soda that he had dropped.

Jay's shoulder was suddenly pressing against Mal's as he looked over the edge too. "Hey, did you remember to bring the popcorn? We can't have fireworks without popcorn."

Carlos huffed, frowning up at them. "I knew I forgot something. It's back at Hell Hall."

"Well," Mal said, "go get it." She made a 'shoo' motion and smiled.

Carlos frowned and grabbed one of the garbage cans from beside the dumpster. He carefully climbed up onto it so his head was peeking over the roof's edge. They had picked a shorter building to watch from, making it easily accessible from the alley below. He handed the juice boxes and soda up to Mal and Jay. "I guess I'll go back to Hell Hall. If it starts without me..."

"It's not like it's a short show," Mal said, huffing at him in her impatience. "The King and Queen always go all out for the prince's birthday." She rolled her eyes even as she said it. "Chill."

Carlos grumbled as he climbed back down into the alley.

"Hang on," Evie said, crawling to the edge of the roof. "I'll go with you. I left my lip gloss there earlier. It's time to reapply." She lowered herself over the edge and onto the lid of the trashcan. In a moment, she too disappeared fully down into the alley, and the duo disappeared into the night.

Mal settled back into her spot on the roof and leaned back on her hands. "How old is he this year?" she asked.

"Who? Oh, the prince? I don't know," Jay said. He picked at a spot on his pants, seemingly distracted. "Probably our age. So, fifteen or sixteen."

Mal nodded and focused back on the castle. She was silent for a few moments. "You think they get tired of having the fireworks every year? Like, why have it the same every year?"

"I don't know, Mal. Those people have more money than they know what to do with, I suppose. Especially royalty. Why are you so curious about it anyway?"

Mal shrugged a shoulder, brushing it off. "I'm not," she said stiffly. "It's just...it's a huge celebration and they do it the same every year. Sure, the fireworks are a little different, but still. I mean, if I had a huge birthday bash every year, I'd want a different theme every year. Keep it fresh. Keep people on their toes."

Jay looked back across the water now and sighed. "Maybe it is different every year. Maybe we just can't tell from here. All we see is the fireworks."

Mal sighed and allowed herself to lie back fully now, her back pressed against the flat top of the building. "Maybe," she agreed, though she wasn't paying attention now. She was thinking of birthday parties and how the spoiled brat in Auradon got one every year without lifting a finger and how the most she could ever hope for in a birthday was old soda and other leftovers from Auradon. Trash.

She lay there staring at the stars for a few minutes. The night was silent as the Isle slept. Most of its inhabitants didn't care about the fireworks, and if they did, they didn't seem to be in this part of the city. Everything was completely still as she breathed. Once or twice, she heard Jay shift, and she was glad he was being quiet.

After what seemed like a solid few minutes, Jay nudged her knee and said, "Hey, it's starting."

She sat up, propping herself up on one hand behind her. A few squiggles had been released from the castle's turrets and were racing each other into the sky. Their tails writhed behind them as they climbed higher and higher until they disappeared completely. There was a second's pause, and then six spheres of color exploded in the sky with a series of booms like thunder. Mal smiled as the night sky was painted blue and gold. Then the light faded just as more squiggly worms were shot into the sky.

Mal didn't often compliment things or offer exclamations of awe, but the fireworks were something she looked forward to every year. The more color that popped to life in the sky, the more calm and happy she felt. Her heart lifted as she was momentarily transported away from the trash heap of an island she lived on.

"They've really outdone themselves this year," Jay said after a few minutes. He was smiling.

"Yeah," Mal said, "He must be sixteen then."

Jay rolled his eyes but kept grinning at the light show.

Mal looked away long enough to reach for a juice box and stab the straw in through the hole at the top. She sipped at it, now watching the water reflect the greens and blues of the fireworks. Then she shifted her attention to Jay. The colors were reflecting off his face as well, coloring his brown complexion with purples now.

She finished the juice box and tossed it over the edge into the alley. Sitting up straighter, she brought one knee up to her chest. "How do you think they make the shapes like that?" she asked as a heart-shaped firework fizzled out and disappeared.

Jay shrugged a shoulder. "Magic?"

She sighed. "Right, magic. How would you know? You don't even know what magic looks like really."

"Neither do you."

"I should," she said quietly, almost to herself but her voice was still loud enough to be heard.

"I guess so."

"You guess so?" Mal asked. Her heart sped up its beats as she blew out a long breath. "We should all know what magic is like. We should live in a world where it is used, not forbidden and restricted by a stupid barrier. We weren't meant to live in a place like this, Jay, don't you know that? Can't you feel that?"

Jay looked away from the fireworks, frowning. "You're jealous." It was a statement, not a question.

Mal huffed and stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back on her hands again. "Of course, I'm jealous. How are you not? We've watched these fireworks together every year since we've been friends, Jay. How can you live in a place full of trash and rotten food and watch them flaunt their wealth every year and not be jealous? How can you sit here and not be angry with how much better they think they are than us just because they're 'good'?"

Jay blinked at her. "I've never really thought about it," he said slowly. "I didn't realize it got to you that badly."

Mal shook her head. "It doesn't. I mean, it does, but...urgh! I just hate feeling like they're rubbing it in my face, like I'm a lesser being."

Jay turned to face her fully now, putting his back to the fireworks. "What? Mal, you're not less of anything because you live here. You're a villain's kid. You're the best of the worst." He smiled, but he soon dropped it when she didn't return it. "Listen, Mal, you can't possibly think you're less than those people in Auradon. You're worth a hundred of them. A thousand."

Mal smiled a little at that. "Thanks, Jay." She looked away from him though, her lips twisting back down into a frown.

"I'm serious, Mal," Jay said, moving closer. In fact, she thought he might have been a little too close.

She sat up, crossing her legs to sit Indian style. She crossed her arms over her chest too. "Yeah, ok, I believe you."

"No, you don't." Jay reached forward and gripped her chin, turning her face back so she would meet his eyes. "Stop looking at the fireworks, Mal, and listen to me. You're the toughest, meanest, most rotten girl I know. Those people in Auradon are losers. They're just a bunch of heroes and goody two-shoes. They're all the same. You're special."

Mal felt heat rise in her cheeks, but she couldn't look away from him. His hand was still holding her chin firmly so she would look at him. And, really, part of her never wanted to look away from his warm eyes ever again. "You think I'm special?" she asked. Somewhere in her mind, the more serious part of herself was laughing at her own words. They sounded like something one of the prissy princesses from the Auradon TV programs would say.

Jay nodded. "I do. You may not think so, but that's just because you can't see it. I told you, I'm not colorblind, and that means I'm not blind with people either. I love you, Mal."

"You...what?" Mal asked, her eyes widening.

Jay's eyes had gone wide too, as if he hadn't comprehended his words until it was too late. Then he laughed and hung his head. "Oh man." He dropped his hand from her chin and ran it through his hair. "I didn't-"

It was Mal's turn to direct, and she did so by gripping his chin in return and tilting his face up to hers. She cut him off by kissing him, her lips just a soft whisper against his. "I love you too," she breathed when she pulled back. Jay slowly opened his eyes to look at her, and she felt her stomach do a somersault. She had acted rashly, she knew that. "Jay..." She didn't know what to say. Kissing him had been a mistake.

But then all her fear melted into oblivion as he pulled her into his lap and kissed her heatedly. She moved her hand from his chin and wound her fingers in his hair instead as he held her close. Their bodies pressed together, not an ounce of space between them. Jay cupped her cheek in one hand while the other slid up her thigh. Mal could still hear the fireworks, but now they seemed to be going off in her stomach, their bursts of color sending warmth through her body as he kissed her.

Something soft smacked into Mal's arm, and she pulled away from him. A bag of popcorn held closed with a twist tie was lying next to them. Then someone cleared their throat, and Mal noticed Carlos's and Evie's faces poking over the edge of the roof. He had one eyebrow raised, and she was grinning.

"If you guys wanted to be alone, you could've just asked," Carlos said.

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed this! If you liked this, please consider giving it a review. This is a oneshot, so it will NOT be updated or continued. However, I do plan on doing some more Mal/Jay fics in the future, so if you want to know when those are posted, I suggest giving an author follow. Thanks for reading!**

 **Foarrin**


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